IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

General editing help

The following editing rules apply to this web site and may not apply to others. Please pay special attention to this web site's way of creating numbering lists (most specifically for award requirements). Our system is different from other standard MediaWiki sites.

Additional notes on page formatting

Requirements pages for Ranks, Awards, and Merit Badges have a somewhat formal structure. The first thing placed at the top of the page is the link to an appropriate image file (see Adding an Image below). Award requirements are usually listed first under the == Award requirements == heading. The next section will most likely be == Notes ==. The page should end with == Help with these requirements == and == External links ==. Additional headings can be inserted as needed if they would be of considerable benefit. Based on the above, the following four headings will be used most often with any additional headings inserted between the first two and the last two:

[[Image:50miler.jpg|thumb|50 Miler Award patch. This patch is not worn on the uniform but may be worn on a jacket or patch vest or placed on blankets, backpacks, or other personal equipment.]]

== Award requirements ==

== Notes ==

== Help with these requirements ==

== External links ==

50 Miler Award patch. This patch is not worn on the uniform but may be worn on a jacket or patch vest or placed on blankets, backpacks, or other personal equipment.

Adding an Image

All Ranks, Awards, and Merit Badges pages should start with an image of the actual award. We will use the 50 Miler Award as an example. You will note that there is a thumbnail of the 50 Miler Award patch to the right of your screen. This was done by including the following text in this page's code:

[[Image:50miler.jpg|thumb|50 Miler Award patch. This patch is not worn on the uniform but may be worn on a jacket or patch vest or placed on blankets, backpacks, or other personal equipment.]]

Please note the text used. The first sentence identifies the patch. The second sentence explains how this particular patch is displayed. In this particular case, this patch cannot be worn directly on the uniform. However, it can be placed on any piece of personal clothing or personal gear. This information should be included in the description text when the image is actually uploaded. Information about this image file and all other uploaded files can be found at Special:Imagelist.

Also, please note that the image above and to the right is not the original image's true size. The actual image size is shown to your left and below. This web site's software automatically resizes the image and places it to the far right of the screen if you use the thumb command. As a rule, you should always use the thumb command for an image at the beginning of an article.

Let's review the code above so you understand what each part does. The first portion of the code reads:

[[Image:50miler.jpg|

This identifies that you are using an image and the image's name is 50miler.jpg. See the pipe at the end of the first section of code? This indicates that this section of code is finished and will be followed with more code.

thumb|

The second portion of the code is simply thumb followed by another pipe. This is what forces the image to resize and also places the image to the right of the page instead of in the default position.

50 Miler Award patch. This patch is not worn on the uniform but may be worn on a jacket or patch vest or placed on blankets, backpacks, or other personal equipment.]]

As you can see, the last part of the code is a description of the award - it's name and where it can be worn. It's that simple. Please note that pipes are not used after the final section of code.